Planets Moving Fast; More Developments Coming

The Sun is still traveling in a conjunction to Mars, a close and potent one, moving quickly across the sky. So before things cool off, they stay hot for a little while. We're also about to experience the Mercury-Uranus conjunction (exact on Saturday, seeming to describe an explosion of ideas, revelations, rebellion, inventions, the unexpected). That develops into the Mercury-Pluto square (exact on Sunday, describing depth, introspection, inner probing, seeking understanding, recognition of transience).

The chart for the Scorpio lunar eclipse suggests the action might not be over. Mercury is about to make a conjunction to Eris, indicating that there are more surprises in store. First, Mercury makes a conjunction to Uranus on Saturday and a square to Pluto on Sunday.

Planets have now begun to shift into Taurus. Leading the way was Venus, which ingressed Taurus earlier in the week. The Sun follows later tonight, and there's more to come. Taurus is supposed to cool off the sky a little, but it doesn't always work that way.

That said, the sky is building toward the Scorpio Full Moon on Thursday, April 25 -- that's the opposition of the Sun in Taurus and the Moon in Scorpio. This is also a partial lunar eclipse -- the first in a cluster of three eclipses this spring. Eclipses tend to be pattern-setting events, and the span of time between them can have an unusual quality of things moving forward and developing quicker than usual.
 
We'll have more about this event early next week. In brief, it looks like Mars -- which will still be conjunct the Sun in Taurus -- is bringing extra heat and desire to this Full Moon. You'll likely feel the urge to express that physically. On the other side of the sky, the Scorpio Moon can feel like a deep well of emotion, often with a sexual tone to it. Saturn will be conjunct the Moon for this eclipse, offering a container for all this energy as we explore it.
 
This is a passionate lunar eclipse we're building to over the next several days. With an atmosphere of fear, anger and grief running high for many people, try to keep tabs on when your emotions run ahead of your thoughts. This is a time for empathy and self-awareness, and a good time to slow down and take a breath before speaking or acting. Respond, don't react.




The Boston Marathon and our Culture of War

Violinist Jimmy Be Free.

Here's your new edition of Planet Waves FM. In this edition, I provide a careful analysis of the chart for the bombing of the Boston Marathon on Monday. I do this without jargon -- explaining the astrology in human terms, and looking at things that are out of view of investigators and mainstream journalists.

My musical guest is Jimmy Be Free, who I met in the Portland airport Monday. He's a brilliant violinist, composer and singer. You can pick randomly from his music -- it's all beautiful.

If you would like to see the charts I've been reviewing associated with the Boston Marathon, here is a Zip file of the charts. They are worth a look.




Your Monthly Horoscopes -- and our Publishing Schedule Notes

The April monthly extended horoscopes were published Friday, March 22. Inner Space for March was published Tuesday, Feb. 26; there will be no Inner Space for April due to scheduling issues. We published the Moonshine horoscopes for the Aries New Moon on Tuesday, April 9. We will publish a Moonshine horoscope for the Scorpio Full Moon Tuesday, April 23. The monthly horoscope for May will be published Friday, April 26. Note that the longer monthly horoscope is being incorporated into the Friday issue after the Sun has entered a new sign; a new Inner Space is generally emailed on the following Tuesday.




Weekly Horoscope for Friday, April 19, 2013 #946 | By Eric Francis

Aries (March 20-April 19) -- Remember what you figure out this weekend, because it may be one of the most relevant personal discoveries you've made in a long time. The question, though, is why you might forget, and one reason for that is because if you put the information to use, you will need to make some deep decisions not just about what you do, but about who you are. I know you may not think that who you are is a decision, though I assure you that it is. Even if you only go as far as deciding to be who you know you are, rather than who you are not, that's still an important choice, though it goes deeper than that. Your state of being is in a continual state of change, and at each of those junctures, you are presented with a choice. What decision you make will be influenced by what you know and whether you use what you know -- and you're about to learn something that is both meaningful and useful.




Attention all Aries: Your 2013 Birthday Reading is ready! Your sign is loaded with planets right now, making this New Moon the ultimate in cosmic reset buttons for you to get your solar year started Aries-style. If you have already ordered, you may now access using the login and password you received when you placed your order. If you have not yet ordered, what are you waiting for? You're an Aries -- the zodiac's initiator! This birthday reading includes two 40-minute segments of astrology, plus a tarot spread using the Voyager Tarot by James Wanless. You may purchase instant access to this affordably priced reading here.

Taurus (April 19-May 20) -- As planets and the Sun move from Aries to Taurus, you may repeatedly have the sensation of seeing what you were missing. Venus made its move first, which will be followed by the Sun and Mars. It's likely that there's a theme of making discoveries about your sexuality and your sexual identity. The big surprise may be that there are variables you hadn't considered, or overlooked. Looking deeper, there's an inquiry about your relationship to your father and how that shaped your identity. Look for the ways that the relationship was set up for you to please him and you may notice what you left behind in the process of doing so. Those are things you can reclaim, and when you take a bold step toward doing that, you will want to take another and another. You're poised to discover something I cannot describe, but I can see one clear effect: the sensation of being set free. Notice what got you there.


Gemini (May 20-June 21) -- This would be the weekend to get to every interesting social event you hear about. There's something in your chart about making connections, which have an element of surprise and a stroke of genius to them. One reading of your solar chart describes an encounter with a group -- that is, the potential to walk in on a new circle of friends that seemed like it was waiting for you to come along. But make sure you focus on the one-on-one encounters that seem to draw you in the deepest. Indeed, notice who and what draws you into yourself the deepest. You may feel some inclination to judge yourself at a certain point, to compare yourself to others or to wonder whether you fit in. Think of that as a veil that you're passing through -- or like one of those moments in a metaphysical journey where you're confronted with your own fear. Remember, the fear is not coming from outside of you; what you're seeing and being offered a chance to resolve is something inside yourself.


Cancer (June 21-July 22) -- You have an opportunity to reinvent your career, which really means reinventing your creative process. This may start as the flash of an idea, a meeting, or a new way to see something that you've been mulling over for a long time. What matters most is that you follow your impulse and put your plan into motion. Take one step, then take another. You may have the feeling of pushing into the unknown, which turns out to be familiar territory where you discover that you know just what to do as you do it. The thing to remember is that while your idea may seem a little out of the ordinary, that's precisely the point. What else deserves to be called an 'idea'? Anyway, this is likely to be a real one. If you're like most people in Western civilization, you have more to do than you can handle, so I suggest you make some conscious decisions about how to route your time, energy and resources. Remember: people around you support you. Get real about that.


Leo (July 22-Aug. 23) -- Think of yourself as the guardian of something of global importance. Imagine that you are a protector of all that is fair, honest and loving. That's humble service, but it's also essential that you make the mental shift from littleness to magnitude. You have a significant function in the world, and to fulfill that function you will benefit from keeping your mind as open and encompassing as you can. Center yourself on values that are designed to protect the core of life and love. You know what they are, and it's natural for you to contribute to the world in such a way that supports what matters the most to you. You now have that opportunity, in what may be a continually increasing way. Remember the leadership skills you've developed. Remember your knack for getting others to cooperate with you, and to cooperate with one another. Remember how resourceful you are, which means you can pull together whatever it takes to get the job done.


Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22) -- This may be the weekend to renegotiate your relationship agreements. The topic may come up on its own, or you may need to bring it up, in the context of recent events. The first thing to remember is that everything is negotiable. The second thing to remember is that there is a solution that can work out well for everyone, and you can find it -- if everyone agrees. Short of that, you must do what you need to do in order to be free to live your life. You're not a subsidiary of anyone, you're not indentured and you're not a slave to money or any other form of resources that might come from someone else. You are, however, free to use shared resources in a way that's mutually beneficial and creative. I suggest you set no less of a standard for how you can conduct your life. Yet you have far broader horizons than you've admitted to yourself recently, and I think that will be your true source of motivation.


Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23) -- There's no way you can keep living with the relationship models that have served you in the past, but which cannot handle the way you and your world are today. There's too much energy moving for you to hold yourself and others to strict rules or expectations. You also need to know how to work with the fact that people are attracted to you, rather than working against it, or having it work against you. Think of what you're doing as directing the flow of energy. At the moment you have a lot to manage, and you may have given up keeping track of things. Now would be a good moment to spark yourself to full consciousness and make decisions. Listen to what people say. They will tell you all you need to know about who they are -- and in the process, reveal plenty about who you are. Yet of all the information coming through your charts most important is the bit about not resenting when others fancy you. If you do, I suggest you consider it a measure of your self-esteem, and address it on that level. Remember, you don't have to give up your power when you accept attention, affection and admiration.


Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22) -- By all indications, this is going to be an exciting season of your life. Meaningful encounters with people are showing up on the event horizon. There may be so much energy coming your way that you do not know what to do with it. Two ideas come to mind: One is that what you encounter, who you meet, what you do and how you feel about it have the power to rearrange your life. You might be inclined to hold back, to prevent the changes, but that will only lead to an enhanced state of chaos. The other idea is that you're starting to focus on your healing process with new commitment. You may have an idea that part of that journey involves a new approach to your relationships, though it goes a lot deeper than that. You would not be able to relate to others without a self with which to do the relating. The primary message of your solar chart is that how you relate to others is an extension of who you are -- not the other way around.


Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22) -- When I was at Burning Man 2001, someone said to me that many people there were not going to go past their boundaries, but they would find out what they are. You're currently having your own miniature Burning Man or Burning Woman celebration. Your mental and emotional environment is thriving with creativity and passion. I would ask: how are you responding to this? Are you being pushed up against your boundaries, or feeling uncomfortable at the idea of certain potential experiences? How are you feeling about taking chances you might not take, particularly of a sexual or creative nature? How much fun can you stand? Right now you have the chance to feel the edge of your limits, or to expand them -- a little or a lot. Either way, I suggest you notice what those limits are about. If you feel, listen and think, you'll get information, and you can use it to make choices around the options that you're being presented.


Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20) -- You will feel love, and be loved, when you feel safe. Think of safety, love and trust as being part of the same thing. I suggest you assess any situation in your life, whether it involves your relationships, your children, or the work you do as a question of safety -- or more accurately, of perceived safety. There's a potential problem, though, in focusing too much from that angle. Many people who feel confident are that way because they take chances and succeed, and when they don't, they count what they've learned, dust off and try again. Looked at the other way, people who refuse to take even ordinary risks will repeatedly convince themselves that they're not safe doing so, and many influences in your solar chart suggest that the more daring you are, the more secure you'll feel. What you're looking for is not the assurance that nothing can go wrong but rather the self-assurance that life rewards you for actually living.


Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -- You seem to be in a moment of revelation. Some idea or development is finally promising to move the story of your life along, rather than overwhelm you with problems and potential. The full idea may not have come to you yet -- though you're working your way toward it. The thing to remember is that there are two dimensions here -- the outer and the inner. The outer level involves the conscious thoughts you're thinking, the facts of which you're aware and what you might do about them. The inner layer is a much deeper reality check about how you feel about these things. I suggest you include considerations such as what you would need to give up and what you would gain; an assessment of how certain choices have worked or not worked for you in the past; and any influence on your social reality. Practical matters are not everything; emotional matters count for a lot right now, and as the Grateful Dead lyrics go, "Without love in the dream, it will never come true." Perhaps take that a step further -- this is all about love, and awakening to it.


Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20) -- Your personal revelation of our rather stunning moment might go something like this: You can now see how many of your prior self-assessments of being unworthy, not good enough, not talented enough, not determined enough or any form thereof were not just incorrect but ridiculously off the mark. You have all the talent and resources you need; the next step is to engage with life more assertively, even competitively. Set clear goals for yourself, draw up a list of steps that will get you to each goal, and proceed with a clear strategy. Since you're a Pisces you will always yield to intuition, so you don't need to have any concerns that having a plan will hem you in. Your strategy is like a notebook that will help you guide your decisions, keep track of your priorities and help you ensure that you don't miss any steps. Your intuition is working just fine. Add logic, reason and some consciously adapted skill at politics and you will be unstoppable.